Our documentary seeks to answer three questions: how local security has changed over time, what the current trend is (increase or reduction in security) and how this actually affects people.

We began by trying to gauge how people felt walking around in Boston. Since we wanted to figure out how things had changed since the Marathon Bombings in particular, we asked if people felt safe before the bombings and how they felt now. The overwhelming response was that members of the public still felt safe, even on public transit or major events. We used public transit ourselves to get to South Station, a major commuting hub for Boston. We recorded B-roll (location footage to make cuts less jarring) and interviews with a Canon DSLR camera and handmade shoulder mount.

Next, we decided to look for people with stronger opinions on both sides. First, we arranged for an interview with Kade Crockford of the ACLU of Massachusetts. The Americal Civil Liberties Union is strongly opposed to excessive surveillance and the militarization of local police. 

Since the events of September 11, 2001, surveillance in the U.S. has increased dramatically, with the bombing at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 only upping security concerns in the city. This film explores the new surveillance regime that faces Bostonians, as well as Americans as a whole, and asks the question: what privacy rights is the citizen willing to forgo in exchange for the promise of increased security?